Review and Measurements of SMSL SP200 THX HP Amp

[RayDunzl]

-3) does the smsl sp200 amp require a burn-in ?

Unlikely.

Warm-up? Maybe... but likely inconsequential.

Discussion:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/equipment-burn-in-am-i-deluded.5339/

 

[dgozalie]

some review about this sp200

https://orronoco.blogspot.com/2020/03/smsl-sp200-thx-certified-headphones.html

 

[wassim01]

update : after testing with a lg g5 phone ( 2016 ), this SP200 sound amazing, The sound stage amplifier is wide, it is clearly natural and open, it’s the best sound I’ve ever heard before, it’s bizzard than my dac ifi zen n not a good performance compared to my lg g5

 

[Veri]

update : after testing with a lg g5 phone ( 2016 ), this SP200 sound amazing, The sound stage amplifier is wide, it is clearly natural and open, it’s the best sound I’ve ever heard before, it’s bizzard than my dac ifi zen n not a good performance compared to my lg g5

that's a top of the line amplifier for ya

 

[wassim01]

that's a top of the line amplifier for ya

thank you for your involvement and your advice. now i am looking for a good dac, but i can't decide between smsl m300 mk2 (247 euro), smsl su-v2 (210 euro) and topping d50s (250 euro). If anyone can advise me which of them sounds the best

 

[Veri]

thank you for your involvement and your advice. now i am looking for a good dac, but i can't decide between smsl m300 mk2 (247 euro), smsl su-v2 (210 euro) and topping d50s (250 euro). If anyone can advise me which of them sounds the best

I honestly think all three are great. Do you maybe need balanced in the future? Then M300 or SU-8 makes more sense.
Do you want bluetooth? D50s.

 

[wassim01]

I honestly think all three are great. Do you maybe need balanced in the future? Then M300 or SU-8 makes more sense.
Do you want bluetooth? D50s.

i think i will take smsl m300 mk3. the smsl m300 uses a single ak4497 chip but the topping d50s and smsl su-8 use two es9038q2m chips. this makes a difference in the sound quality between these dacs ?

 

[Veri]

this makes a difference in the sound quality between these dacs ?

No.. theoretically there might be a small crosstalk benefit but in reality there is little to no difference between 1 or 2 chip.
Having two chips is easier for marketing though. '2 is better than 1'. In reality, not much of a point for 2-channel audio. Really..

 

[wassim01]

No.. theoretically there might be a small crosstalk benefit but in reality there is little to no difference between 1 or 2 chip.
Having two chips is easier for marketing though. '2 is better than 1'. In reality, not much of a point for 2-channel audio. Really..

thank you so much

 

[dgozalie]

here is the component analysis..

https://orronoco.blogspot.com/2020/03/smsl-sp200-components-analysis.html

 

[Rigel]

here is the component analysis..

https://orronoco.blogspot.com/2020/03/smsl-sp200-components-analysis.html

Interesting. Thank´s for the link.

Maybe I have not understood well by the language. I thought that even if the headphone output was not balanced, the signal processing was done separately. I thought I read it before in some post. But it seems that the mass is shared for the two channels.
In Benchmark HPA4, it seems that the masses would be separated to the amplifiers of each channel even if the voltage is not balanced.

 

[olinko]

quick question, I've heard that using one of these to plug unbalanced headphones into balanced is bad, but is it okay if it's not a fully balanced amp like the SMSL SP200?

 

[Veri]

quick question, I've heard that using one of these to plug unbalanced headphones into balanced is bad, but is it okay if it's not a fully balanced amp like the SMSL SP200?
View attachment 52963

That is a 3-pin converter. Converting 4-pin (2x hot-cold, fully balanced) to SE can short your amp and possibly even damage it.

But yes, the SP200 is not truly balanced so it only uses 2 of those pins. Why you'd use an adapter is not clear to me though, since you'd achieve the same thing plugging it into the single ended output right next to it. Exact same thing.

It would make far more sense to use an adapter/cable to convert your balanced headphones and connect them single ended, rather than using an adapter on your balanced amp. That's generally a pretty bad idea.

 

[olinko]

That is a 3-pin converter. Converting 4-pin (2x hot-cold, fully balanced) to SE can short your amp and possibly even damage it.

But yes, the SP200 is not truly balanced so it only uses 2 of those pins. Why you'd use an adapter is not clear to me though, since you'd achieve the same thing plugging it into the single ended output right next to it. Exact same thing.

It would make far more sense to use an adapter/cable to convert your balanced headphones and connect them single ended, rather than using an adapter on your balanced amp. That's generally a pretty bad idea.

This is just so I can have two headphones plugged in, both are 3.5 mm.

So converting 3.5 to 4-pin specifically on the SP200 can still cause a shortage?

 

[Veri]

This is just so I can have two headphones plugged in, both are 3.5 mm.

So converting 3.5 to 4-pin specifically on the SP200 can still cause a shortage?

On the SP200 it should be harmless I understand your use case now. Should be fine! Make sure it's 4-pin though.

 

[olinko]

My mistake, didn't look at the picture thoroughly enough
Thanks a lot!

 

[evrial]

Does it make HE400i sound better comparably to DX3Pro amp?

 

[frogmeat69]

I honestly think all three are great. Do you maybe need balanced in the future? Then M300 or SU-8 makes more sense.
Do you want bluetooth? D50s.

Doesn't the M300 Mk 2 have Bluetooth? If so, that might be the best all around choice for value and options.

 

[Veri]

Doesn't the M300 Mk 2 have Bluetooth? If so, that might be the best all around choice for value and options.

You're right, I guess it does. Must've been looking at the Mk 1 product page I guess. https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-without-volume/smsl-m300-mkii-dac-akm-ak4497-xmos-32bit-768khz-dsd512-bluetooh-50-apt-x-black-p-14360.html

 

[Incursio]

I was on the fence as to whether to get this amp or not, and I did.

What swung me was that it reminded me of the control panel of the Mandalorian's space ship, the Razor Crest.

Also, that slight case lean to the right. I like that.

"This is the way."